Monday, May 19, 2014

Techy Terms: Talk Nerdy To Me

Know the lingo.

Everyone's talking the language now. Geek talk. That's right, smart is in. Technology is evolving quicker than we can say "nerd alert." Doesn't matter if you are in business, education, construction, healthcare, etc, you have to stay current if you want to stay connected with those you serve.

Don't believe me?

Take a quick glance, do you know what these trendy words or phrases mean?

Here are some brief descriptions in simplest terms and links for deeper meaning.

1. What's my name? Digital Natives (Generation Z): Let's start with our next generation. These little techy learners are called Digital Natives, the rest of us are Digital Immigrants. Pretty obvious why, our young people will never know life with a mobile device in hand. The last of the Millennials (or formerly known a the Y Generation) are getting ready to graduate. My X generation is trying to keep up! In case you are curious about what defines these generation labels;Digital Natives, born 2000- 2020, Millennials, born 1980s-2000. X Generation, born 1960s-1980s. Note: here is some debate about the actual years, but this is close enough.2. Byte this. Gigabyte (GB): I often get asked, "what is a gigabyte?" Gigabyte measures storage capacity. For example, most DVDs can hold 4.7 GB. You probably have heard more about GB from your mobile device carrier. According to Nielsen ratings, U.S. consumers use about 733 megabyte (MB) a month on their cellphones. FYI, 1,024 MB = 1 GB. Typically, you use more MB by streaming videos and music. But, unless you constantly using an aggressive music app or streaming videos from internet, it's pretty challenging to use 1 GB a month. For example, If you have one gigabyte of data on your plan, you can
perform the following tasks without going over your allotted amount of data.
Most smartphone users

Visit 1,000 webpages

Send or receive 11,100 emails with attachments

Stream 33 hours of music

Stream six hours of video

Download 197 apps/games/song

3. That is code for...Coding vs Programming: Still scratching your head about what a coder does and what a programmer does? "Programming is creating the logic, coding is translating that logic into code", said Tom Fordham. They both need each other, match made in heaven. For example, the programmer may want to build a game which requires having codes to create a system that allows the user to actual play the game. 4.Cirrus or Cumulus? The Cloud.Do you know what cloud you are storing your work in? Some people seem to be perplexed about there their documents go when they are placed in the 'cloud'. They see visions of files just disappearing into thin air. What is the cloud? Simply defined as "the set of hardware, networks, storage, services, and interfaces that
combine to deliver aspects of computing as a service stored through a web-based stystem. Think iCloud on your smartphone, or Google Docs, Dropbox, anywhere you store data, docs, information through the internet and not on a flashdrive or hard drive.

Stylish and tech savvy.

5. Wearbles that work. Fitbit- this chip is not just about keeping healthy but more about tracking and measuring growth. It's small in size and comes in wristbands and other tracking wearables. It connects to your phone (through an app) then tracks how many steps you take, calories you burn, etc. What's interesting is that businesses are taking notice. There is buzz around companies requiring employees to wear Fitbit so they can keep data on how healthy they are, and possibly maximize productivity in the workplace. Check out this list of other places this chip can be inserted. From bracelets and clothes to tattoos and wigs, these wearable computing ideas are giving Google Glass a run for their money

Hopefully this gives a better understanding of what everyone is talking about.